Preparation of Ballet Shoes

About Eternal... Our life has changed now we live in modern world with a great number of mechanism and gadgets. Even the world of ballet become a little digital, special equipment, complex mechanical set but the one thing has never changed. This is pointes preparation. If you, my courteous reader, are not competent enough, pointes or pointe shoes are special ballet shoes. If you are interested to find more information about it

Gaynor Minden is the leader in pointe shoes production, moreover on their website you can peek inside a ballet shoe. So I think it's very interesting information. Except Gaynor Minden there are Grishko, Sansha, Block and others. My first pointe shoes were "RusBal"- Russian Ballet than I used to buy Grishko now I buy American shoes because they are more practical Gaynors have plastic box Grishko plaster one . As you understand it is impossible to wash plaster. Somebody prefers to dance in Grishko but I wanna tell you about Gaynors. I buy the hardest shoes (green pack). There are also yellow and pink. Softness depends on the colour . So now about my favorite part PREPARATION.

Mechanism of preparation is the same for each dancer but everybody has his own secrets and I share mine First I singe the ribbon ends to keep then from unraveling than sew the ribbon securely onto the shoe.

Additionally I sew elastic near the heel, same things I do with another shoe. Than I proceed to constructions a kind of things in the corners of pointe shoes to keep my foot inside the shoe this way I prevent both my premature injures and pointes' damage.

When I'm in mood I darn the platform (the part of the pointe shoe on which the dancer stands when en pointe). What for? For longest using. New pointes always mean - new pain. But it is another #InsideBalletStory. In addition I stitch edging of the tag inside because it graze the foot.

Many dancers cut the heel of the shoes I don't. Previously dancers rubbed the sole so it didn't slip or scraped dirt with knife because washing is death for ballet shoes or even beat hard plaster with hammer. As for me, I cut down on the preparation of pointe shoes but still this process is extremely important for me. It is something very private for ballet dancers. It is more than just sewing ribbons or something else. It is like adaptation to your new partner. As pianists care about their hands as carefully violinists resin a bow so ballerinas prepare their pointe shoes.

#ENG #InsideBalletStory